My mother would have agreed with Latham that changes needed to be made. The realization knocks something loose inside me.

And it also gives new shape to Latham’s actions. He was already angry with the council. And then they nullified his match with the woman he loved.

I travel down paths where Latham has multiple conversations with his father, asking cleverly disguised questions to discover each member who agreed to keep him and Avalina apart. On some of the paths, he keeps a list of their names on his bedside table. He studies it obsessively.

And then I come across something that makes my blood run cold. A murdered council member. One who died in mysterious circumstances that bear a striking resemblance to the murders in Midwood a few months ago. The Bone Charmer who sat on the Grand Council was found dead in her home, throat slit. The killer was never discovered. She was the Charmer who performed Avalina’s second kenning, the woman who matched her as a chef and claimed she had no suitable love match in the entire country.

I think back to the council vacancy Latham discussed with his mother. Latham created it. And he attempted to fill it with my mother. Earlier, I assumed he wanted her close so that she’d be easier to kill, but now confusion rages in my chest. Did he want her on the council because he wanted her dead or because she agreed with him? Did he think of her as an enemy or an ally?

I keep going. Path after path until my mind is muzzy, and I can’t think clearly anymore.

I pull away from the bones and massage my temples.

“What’s wrong?” Bram asks. “What did you see?”

“I know what Latham wants,” I say, “but I can’t figure out how to stop him.”

“What does he want?” Tessa asks softly.

I stand up and pace the length of the room. “He wanted change before he became consumed with revenge. He’s targeting the council members who kept him and Avalina apart. But he also wants power. He craves it. His father made every decision for him as a child. Controlled every aspect of his life.”

Jacey sighs. “And then invalidated the result when fate stepped in.”

“Yes,” I say, “exactly. He’s bitter. Angry. How he chooses to heal these bones will change the past, but I can’t see how.”

Niklas stands against the wall, the back of his hand over his mouth. His cheeks are sallow. “Let’s just take the bones and get out of here.”